Apr 19, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; NBA referee Scott Foster during the New Orleans Pelicans against the Phoenix Suns during game two of the first round for the 2022 NBA playoffs at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Brooklyn Nets will look to avoid elimination on Monday against the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of their first-round matchup.

The Nets will seemingly need a miracle in the series to come back, and they may just get one with the officiating crew being announced earlier today. The referees for Monday’s game will be Scott Foster, Sean Wright, and Brian Forte, according to Spotrac’s Keith Smith.

While many would assume officials are not there to determine the direct outcome of a game, there are some shocking statistics that may raise some eyebrows.

It may be a coincidence, but in the last 21 non-Game One playoff games where Foster has been an official, the team that is behind in the playoff series is 19-2.

This has many around the NBA world believing that the Nets could be in a prime situation to win on Monday night.

One of Foster’s biggest critics over the years has been Chris Paul, who has an even more shocking statistic going against him in playoff games that Foster has officiated.

Paul has yet to win a playoff game in his career that Foster has been a referee in, with an 0-14 record over his 17-year career.

While this could be a coincidence, it is still quite shocking that so many around the NBA world can easily point out that Foster has such drastic trends against certain teams or individuals.

Paul is also far from the only critic amongst NBA players that Foster has. Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid was fined on Monday for his criticism of the officiating team led by Foster during their Game 4-matchup against the Toronto Raptors.

The Nets will have to take it one game at a time to come back and make this a competitive series, but Foster’s history certainly has to be one of the few positives going in their favor.

[Keith Smith]

About Reice Shipley

Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.